The Cat and the Bird
by SecretForKeeps
Summary: AU Ciel Phantomhive, the queen's assassin, is assigned a target: Sebastian Michaelis, an importer of illegal narcotics. But it seems the information he was given was far from true and the unlikely pair team up to find the true culprit. Sebas/Ciel DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter 1

A pair of blue eyes glared upwards at an elaborate, rather over-the-top looking mansion built with all the flair of the age. It was completed recently, the fresh paint almost imperceptible in the dark of the night, but the two tall towers were silhouetted perfectly in the moonlight.

The eyes belonged to a boy, barely in his teens, who had just scrambled over the black iron gate and was now shadowed by the giant brick monstrosity. Clothed in a soft, black cotton shirt and black trousers, he eyed the house, searching for the best point of entrance. The owner of the house, an exorbitant man, was not the victim of his caper tonight. No, rather, he was after—unexpectedly—the butler. This man, named Sebastian Michaelis, was apparently responsible for illegally importing huge quantities of banned drugs. The queen had personally requested that he get rid of this man, and who was he, Ciel Phantomhive, the youngest in a long line of underground assassins, to disobey the queen?

That was why he was now around the back of the house, scaling the wall to the window that was three stories above ground level. His fingers adeptly found the right nooks and ridges in the bricks as he hauled his small weight up the wall. After that it was only a matter of pushing open the window. It was still new and didn't make a sound, swinging open as easily as if the owner of the room had expected him.

It was dark and shadowy, but he could make out the still form, lying under the sheets of the bed, a slow rise and fall indicating a deep, steady slumber. Ciel crept quietly closer, unsheathing his knife as he did so. He peered over the coarse sheets to make sure he had the right man. Dark, fashionably uneven hair, peaked out in tufts and surrounded a young, handsome face. As far as he knew, this was the man.

His blade flashed as it sliced downwards towards where he knew the heart to be. But an unexpected hand shot out and took hold of his wrist, stopping the blade inches from its target. Before Ciel could really comprehend what had happened, he was being pulled down and twisted around until he was lying on his back on the bed, and a pair of crimson eyes was peering down at him with amusement.

"Well, well, it seems as though a little bird has flown the nest. Don't you know it's easy to fall if you fly too soon?"

"Let go of me!" the boy demanded, struggling in vain against the strong grip.

"Tsk, would I really want to free the one who had just attempted to murder me in my sleep?" he asked with a pleasant grin on his face. It would seem that if Ciel was the bird, then this Sebastian fellow was a cat who got the cream. This did not bode well.

* * *

A few minutes later, Ciel was bound and propped up on a chair, and the butler was kneeling before him with a keen look in his eyes. Ciel tried to look away but a hand under his chin forced him to look back into the older man's eyes. Cerulean clashed with crimson.

"Now, would you please be so kind as to inform me as to why you are creeping into my bedroom in the middle of the night with a knife?"

"I'm here to kill you. Obviously." The grip on his chin tightened and he glared.

"Why?" was the one word response.

Ciel remained stubbornly silent. Sebastian looked as though he were about to say something else when the sound of a gunshot went off and Sebastian leaped forward and pushed Ciel to the ground as several more shots went off over their heads.

Well, this was certainly not how Ciel had planned his night to turn out. He was tied up and as he was pressed to the floor under the weight of the older man, his arms were pressed at an awkward angle and the bindings around his wrists cut into his skin. A few more shots went off over them, but none hit and soon whoever it was ceased fire. They remained in that position for another few long moments, Ciel's face pressed awkwardly to the floor. But he could feel Sebastian's breath just above his ear, calm and steady.

Ciel didn't know why, but this made him shiver.

After a long moment, Sebastian hesitantly stood and peaked around the window. It seemed whoever it was had taken off without confirming whether or not the man was still alive. The red eyes glanced back down at the boy.

"Well, will you give me an answer now?"

Ciel stared for a moment, in a semi-state of disbelief. This man had just barely escaped a barrage of bullets and he was as calm as could be. "What—what was the question?"

Sebastian shook his head, as if pitying a poor, ignorant child. Ciel glared at this action.

"I asked you why you were trying to kill me. Though obviously this problem is bigger than just you now." He picked up Ciel's own knife from the night stand, and held it dangerously close to the boy's throat. "It is in both of our interests for you to answer promptly and truthfully."

Not ceasing in his (what he considered to be) dangerous glare, he spat out, "For illegally importing drugs."

Sebastian raised his eyebrow. "Interesting." He thought for a moment, then walked to the small closet, partially ruined by bullet holes, and pulled out some clothes, a coat, gloves, and hat.

"What are you doing?" demaned Ciel.

"I'll just be off to attend to some business and perhaps settle this whole misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?"

Sebastian ignored him and finished dressing, setting the hat atop his head. "Be a good little bird while I'm gone." And just like that, he was out the door and his footsteps could be heard quietly receding down the hallway.

Ciel scowled. Well, now that he was gone, it would make it easier for him to escape. He may have been tied up, but escaping would only be a small matter. Any good assassin always had a good trick or two up their sleeve.

* * *

When Sebastian returned to his room a few hours later, there was blood on his hands and Ciel had disappeared.

He grinned to himself. Walking to his window, he looked out at the large city-scape spread before him. He licked off a rivulet of blood that dripped from his fingers and his eyes glowed eerily in the moonlight. "It would seem I have myself a little bird to catch," he muttered quietly to himself. Then he turned back and began preparations for when the master awoke. It would be dawn soon and a butler was never without work to be done.

* * *

Dang. This was supposed to be just a one-shot but it looks like it will be much longer. Another two or three chapters at least. Oh dear, and I'm rather terrible at updating. Well, I hope you're happy with this Schnickle-senpai! . (To whom it's dedicated as a latelatelatelate Christmas gift.) For those of you who read this, thank you and I'll try to update soon! In the meantime, please review and tell me what you think of this little AU fic of mine!

(And btw, there's a reason Ciel has both of his eyes. I didn't just randomly decide that.)


	2. Chapter 2

Ciel grumbled as he stumbled down the stairs, barely dressed, and sloppily at that. He had just recently fired another butler and so he was trying to make do without for the time being. No matter how many he hired, they were never up to the standards of the Phantomhive household.

He opened the door to his private dining room, the one he used on a daily basis when there were no guests present, and sat at his chair. As he was reaching for the morning post that had been left by his seat, a familiar yet unwelcome voice greeted his ears.

"Not an early bird, hm?"

His eyes widened a fraction of an inch, before allowing his features to settle into a casual smirk. He propped open the newspaper and began to skim the articles, taking a sip from the tea that Meirin had just poored nervously, as usual, as she glanced between the young master and the stranger who had claimed he had business here when she let him in only a few minutes earlier. She fidgeted as she waited by Ciel's side, in case he needed anything else. The boy frowned at the tea, but waved his hand in dismissal anyway. He set it aside and finally looked up at his guest.

"So, how did you find me?"

"It wasn't hard," he answered vaguely.

"Oh?" Ciel responded indifferently.

"Afterall, who could forget an adorable face like yours, especially when it's in the morning paper?"

Ciel looked down. 'Lo and behold, an article on his latest line of toys had been printed that morning, his picture placed beside it accordingly. The caption read, "Ciel Phantomhive, youngest business owner in the toy industry, topped sales yesterday with his new line of Funtom stuffed bears."

The boy frowned. "Damn press." He looked up again at Sebastian. "So? What are you doing here?"

"I came with a proposal," he replied. "It is my opinion that it would be beneficial to the both of us if we were to work together."

"Heh. And why is that?"

"Someone is importing illegal drugs into this country, yes? And, I assume, it is your duty to stop them." Ciel made no move to either confirm or disprove this theory, so he carried on. "This same person has framed me and for some reason is trying to eliminate me, in which case I would be most grateful to you for preventing this." Despite the fact that he was speaking of being the target of a criminal and possible murderer, he was quite calm.

Ciel raised an eyebrow. "I still don't see why we should work together."

Sebastian grinned. "Well you see…" he took a large breath. "Due to the damage to the house I was previously serving, the master had me fired and I have been left without a job, though I assure you I am quite capable and able with many household chores such as cleaning, washing, dusting, organizing, cooking, paperwork, household management, serving, errands, waiting on guests, researching, attending to miscellaneous jobs, physical defense as you have already seen, not to mention I am clean, punctual, well-organized, a fine pastry chef (Ciel raised the other eyebrow), and… I may already have some leads," he ended.

Ciel blinked and didn't speak for a long moment. Before he could, the doors to the kitchen opened and Bard strolled in, carrying a large dish. "Here you go, young master! Breakfast is served!" He set the dish down and returned to the kitchen.

Ciel stared disdainfully down at the charred, black mess of what could have been eggs at one point. He looked back up at Sebastian, then back down at his breakfast. With no further hesitation, he said, "You're hired."

* * *

Sebastian pulled his new uniform coat over his shoulders. It fit perfectly as though it were tailor-made specifically for him. It was hard to believe it had once belonged to the elderly man named Tanaka who seemed to do little else but drink tea and chuckle good-naturedly. Though he didn't seem nearly as bad as the clumsy maid named Meirin or the absurdly strong gardener Finnian, or the pyro-maniac of a cook called Bard. It would seem he would be working with quite a strange bunch from now on.

Though probably the strangest one of all was his new employer, the young Ciel Phantomhive. Only thirteen and the sole member of the Phantomhive family, owner of the Funtom toy company along with several other small businesses, and apparently something else if his late night activities were any indication. He had heard rumors, of course. The young prodigy was the gossip of the aristocracy, who hadn't heard of the mysterious death of his family and the boy's oddly mature yet cold personality?

Sebastian finished straightening his tie and gave his appearance a last appraisal in the mirror. For the barest instant, a smirk alit on his face and his hazel eyes became a blazing crimson. His new job would certainly be interesting, if anything.

* * *

"You said you had information?"

Well. The boy certainly got straight to the point. Those were the first words uttered by his young master as soon as he returned from a brief tour of the mansion, led by the nervous and stuttering Meirin. Though it's not like he expected any less of the boy.

"I did," he replied.

"Tell me everything you know."

Sebastian smirked. "Very well. After your visit last night, I left to follow the trail of the baffoons who attempted to kill me. It would seem they were from a certain smuggling ring. After a bit of… persuasion I was able to meet with the head of the operation. According to him, I am the leading importer of Chinese opium and his biggest rival."

"Opium…?"

"You know of it, I'm sure."

The boy gave him a glare, perhaps because he considered the comment out of line or because it was just so obvious that he would know. Though when one stopped to think about it, normally it would be strange for a wealthy teenage boy to be well-aquainted with opium.

He continued, "And so I can conclude that if we are able find the sources of the opium, we will easily be able to find the culprit."

Ciel was silent for a moment, considering. Then he stood. "Get my coat and hat and prepare the carriage."

"Are you going out, young master?"

"We both are. Now hurry up."

* * *

Their destination was suspicious, and that was putting it lightly. When Sebastian pulled the horses to a halt in front of an old storehouse near the city slums, he was almost sure the young boy must have been mistaken. But young Ciel Phantomhive stepped down from the carriage gracefully and purposefully and made his way to the side of the building, Sebastian following close behind and becoming ever more curious and interested in the young teenager.

Ciel stopped in front of a door and turned to Sebastian. "I trust you will remember this place for future reference when dealing with my affairs."

He gave a slight bow. "Of course."

The boy turned back to the door and gave three sharp knocks. Soon afterwards, he was answered with two from the other side. "Peng You," he stated in a loud, clear voice. The door creaked open and he strode inside, Sebastian right behind him.

The inside was apparently nothing more than what it had appeared from the outside, but Sebastian could smell faintly the odor of something sweet and musky (A/N: I apologize, I actually have no idea what opium smells like.) coming from somewhere in the building. The man who let them in was elderly and oriental, dressed in Chinese silk and holding a dim lantern light. He led them behind a pile of crates and pulled up a small hatch, then stood back to let them pass.

Ciel passed him a coin then started down the stone steps into a hidden basement. Sebastian was growing increasingly curious. When they reached the bottom, it was hard to breathe, the air was so filled with the sweet smoke. Ciel coughed slightly and covered his nose with his sleeve as he continued, undaunted, into the dimly lit chamber.

"Well, well. If it isn't young Phantomhive! Come to finally have some fun with me?" said an accented voice. Through the haze, a Chinese man surrounded by young Chinese women in short silk dresses was lounging out with a pipe in hand.

"No, I'm here on business."

The man frowned. "Always about business, aren't you?" he sighed. "Well then, at least introduce me to the new man." He waved a long-fingered hand in the direction of Sebastian.

"This is my new butler, Sebastian Michaelis." Ciel turned to Sebastian as he gave a slight bow. "Sebastian, this is Lau."

The Chinese man raised an eyebrow. "Sebastian Michaelis?"

"I assume you've heard the rumors."

"Indeed, I have. Smuggler of opium, newest threat on the black market. And a complete lie."

Ciel smirked. "So you know the real culprit?"

"I can't give you a name, but I can give a description."

"Good enough."

Lau blew out a breath of smoke. "It's an unusually small group, and they've been doing absolutely nothing but selling opium. No side deals, they don't seem to be using it themselves, and no associating with other dealers. Everything I know is from what I've heard from the customers."  
"And what have you heard, exactly?"

"I've heard that only two different people actually deliver the product, and they do it directly in person and always in a church or on some kind of holy ground. Both are described as young, but having white hair and blue eyes. One of them is male, the other is female, which makes me think they may be related."

"A woman?"

"Is it so surprising?"

"Hm. No, I suppose not."

"Also, they both refer to themselves as 'Angel'."

Ciel snorted. "Angels delivering drugs. Is that all?"  
"One more thing." Lau leaned forward. "Part of what's making them so problematic is that they are selling their product for very little. I've inspected some of it myself. No doubt, it is high quality opium. There's no reason for them to sell at the price they have been."

Sebastian observed Ciel's eyes narrowing from his peripheral vision.

"So whatever their goal is, it's not money…" the boy muttered.

"Exactly," agreed the Chinese man, leaning back into his bed of silk and women once more and taking a puff from his pipe.

"I appreciate your cooperation." The young Phantomhive turned on his heel and headed back for the surface.

"I wish you luck, little Ciel!" waved Lau. "It's in my interest that you get rid of these dealers as well. Once you've put them away, come by again so we can celebrate!" He held up the pipe, implying just the sort of 'celebration' they would have.

* * *

"You certainly keep interesting company," commented Sebastian as he helped Ciel into the carriage. "Certainly odd for a young boy such as yourself."

"Hmph," Ciel snorted. "Only because he's useful."

"And if he weren't?"

"Then he'd be just like all the rest." He sat facing forward with his eyes straight ahead. "Disposable."

Sebastian grinned as he closed the door to the carriage and climbed up to his own spot and took hold of the reigns. Yes, he thought to himself. This little bird was quite certainly the most amusing thing he had come across in a long while.

* * *

I am sooooo sorry!! I told you all I was bad with updates, didn't I? But thank you so much for all the reviews!! I was truly and totally overwhelmed by the positive response. Each and every comment motivated me to keep writing. Also, as a clarification: while Sebastian does not have a contract with anyone, he is still a demon. Cause it's just more fun that way. XD

I hope you all can forgive me and review once again to leave me comments and critiques! Let's hope the next chapter will be up sooner than this one, yes?


	3. Chapter 3

Early morning sunlight shone through the glass window, shining onto the bright mahogany desk. Young Ciel Phantomhive had been staring at the same spot on the document he was reading for nearly twenty minutes. His mind could not stop wandering to what Lau had told him the day before. Though it wasn't the first time he had dealt with seemingly supernatural cases, the idea of angels getting involved was too ridiculous. Monsters and black magic were believable. Society could already be described as corrupted, it wasn't so hard to imagine evils lurking within it as well. But angels? Ciel had never even acknowledged the possibility of their existence.

Obviously, Ciel was not a religious person.

He chuckled and leaned back, trying to refocus on the page in his hands. It wasn't like they were real angels. By the sound of it, it was possibly just a pair of albino people using their appearance to their advantage, calling themselves angels. If anything, it was irony.

A gentle knock sounded on his door.

"Enter," he called, grateful for the respite.

The newest employee of the Phantomhive household, Sebastian entered with a cart laden with tea and a tray of sweets. Though it was only his second day working there, he acted as though he had been working there for years and this was just another day of a well-established routine.

"For today's afternoon tea, I have brewed a special blend of jasmine and lavender imported from France. I hope it is to your liking," he spoke charmingly. The tea was poured expertly, not a drop spilt. Ciel took a sip.

"Hmm…" It was perfect. Gently steaming, but not so hot that it burnt his tongue, and with a pleasant fragrance and a delicate taste. Ciel nodded. "It will do."

Sebastian smiled. "Well then, for your snack I have prepared a chocolate mousse cake, a simple strawberry tart, and lemon meringue pie. Which would the young master prefer?"

After receiving the slice of chocolate cake, Ciel eyed his new butler warily and took a bite. It was delicious. But such things would not be voiced aloud.

"Thank you Sebastian. That will be all."

"Certainly." The dark-haired man bowed and retreated to the doorway before shutting the door quietly behind him. He chuckled to himself as he wheeled the cart back down to the kitchen. Was there really such a need for a child to hide his pleasure while enjoying tea and sweets? Unfortunately for Ciel, what he thought was mature could only be described as endearing to Sebastian.

A boy so young and yet with such a coldness about him… Sebastian couldn't help but wonder what sort of life he had lived thus far. A soul so innocent and yet so tortured. Sebastian licked his lips as he thought of those intense blue eyes. Such a little bird could turn out to be quite a feast.

* * *

"Hey hey, you guys! What do you think of the new butler?"

The main servants of the house, Tanaka, Bard, Finny, and Meirin, were gathered in the kitchen, gossiping about the house's newest addition as they prepared dinner.

Meirin paused to adjust her glasses as she looked over at Finny. "Mr. Sebastian?" She blushed slightly. "He's really knowledgeable and helpful and seems much cooler than any of the other butlers that have tried to take Mr. Tanaka's place!"

They looked over to the corner where the retired butler sat, sipping his tea. "Ohohoho!" he chuckled good-naturedly.

"He seems good at his job," agreed Bard gruffly.

"You guys don't think he seems… weird or anything?"

"Weird how?"

Finny looked uncertain. "I don't know, I just feel like there's something… off… about that guy."

"The only unnatural thing I've noticed is how unnaturally good at his job he is." Bard lit a cigarette. "The guy is way too damn perfect. He's making us look bad."

"You're only saying that because he can bake and you just burn everything!"

"Am not!" he argued. "Well… maybe I am…"

"You guys! I'm serious!" They both looked back to Finny. "He is a really good butler, but just… watch him, okay? We can't let anything happen to the young master."

The two became serious and nodded. They would never allow anything to happen to Ciel, even if their lives depended on it.

* * *

After spending his morning doing paperwork for the company and then spending his lunchtime in the gardens, Ciel was now in the parlor, entertaining his unexpected guest. His fiancée Lizzy had come to call with another of her ridiculous outfits and the notion that he should accompany her to a ball being held next week in the mansion of some noble or other.

"What do you think, Ciel? I had it taylor-made to fit your measurements, so I hope you haven't grown at all since we last went shopping! Isn't it just lovely, I especially asked them to add this extra layer of ruffles at the cuff!"

Ciel tried not to grimace as she held the blue jacket up to him to see how it would look.

"It even compliments your eyes!" she beamed. "I just knew it would be perfect! You will try it on for me, won't you?"

The boy considered it a great accomplishment that he was able to reply with a straight face. "Lizzy, I do still have a bit of work to do. I'm very busy, and while I'm happy to spend time with you, you know I dislike balls or any sort of gathering in general really…"

As he feared, her demeanor changed completely and her eyes began to water. "But, Ciel… I picked this out specially for you and…"

"Okay, okay, I understand Lizzy!" her said hurriedly, trying to stop the inevitable flood of tears. "I'll try it on, at least."

"Hooray!" she cheered. Immediately Ciel found his arms filled with a full set of frilly and extravagant clothes. "Quickly go change so I can see how it looks!"

Ciel grumbled as he headed for the door. Before he could leave, however, there was a light knock on the door. Grateful for the delay, he called, "Enter!"

Sebastian came in and raised an eyebrow at the sight of Ciel carrying an armful of expensive and lavish clothes, but said nothing. Instead, he bowed and held up an envelope. "A message has arrived for you, young master."

"Oh, Ciel! Is this your new butler?" asked Lizzy curiously.

"Yes, his name is Sebastian," he replied to her curtly as the butler bowed in greeting. To Sebastian he asked, "Who is it from?"

"It does not say, but it bears the royal seal."

Immediately, Ciel dumped the clothes on the nearest chair, ignoring Lizzy's protests in the background. He tore open the letter then and there and his eyes skimmed over the contents. Sebastian watched as his young master frowned.

"Lizzy," the boy spoke up after he had finished reading the letter. He tossed it in the fireplace nonchalantly, as if it were of no importance. "If you allow me to choose my own outfit, I will agree to accompany you to the ball next week."

"Really? Oh, I'm so glad! But let me at least tell you what I will be wearing so that we can try to match!" The girl rambled on about the dress she was planning to wear and what sort of fabric it was made from and the colors used.

Ciel nodded at his butler. "Thank you, Sebastian. That will be all."

His curiosity was ignited once more, but the tall man bowed and let himself out quietly. It was not so hard to piece together burnt pieces of paper anyway, he thought to himself with a smirk. He could get the answers to his questions later.

* * *

Hello, it's been a while, hasn't it? I told you all I was bad at updating, didn't I? Oops. (I'm sure you are all plotting ways to murder me in your minds, aren't you?)

But in reality, I am so incredibly sorry that this (pathetically short) update took so long. For a while I honestly thought I would not be writing fanfiction anymore, but I've recently started it up again and I am simply blown away by the number of people who have read, reviewed, and added this story to their favorites/alert list. So to all of you, I am so thankful and so sorry, and I can say positively that this story will be finished and future chapters will be longer and more thought-out than they have been so far.


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